Things I Do On Sunday To Prepare For The Next Week
2014 has definitely been the year of getting organised for me; for the girl who always scrambled the night before to get university deadlines completed, I can't quite believe how much I thrive on being organised and productive these days. For me it all starts with Sunday, I like starting my week on a good note and Monday's can usually be my most productive day but it takes a little leg work the day before to get myself prepared for the week to come. Today I'm bringing you a little insight into my Sunday routine, as I have four little steps I follow to get prepared for the next seven days:
Plan My Weekly Schedule I'm a huge convert to the concept of a weekly schedule - when you work for yourself you can miss the structure of a 9-5 working week, and if you're spreading your time between multiple projects and workloads it can be a juggling act to stay on top of things. I outline on a Sunday everything that needs to get done over the next week and then spread my tasks out throughout my workdays. This way I can make sure I give enough attention to each project and have some structure to keep me on track. I'm sure I'll talk about my weekly schedule in more depth come the new year, but this post from Bethany on How To Create A Weekly Schedule is a must read.
Build Weekly To-Do Lists Weekly to-do lists for each of the projects I'm working on is one of the only ways I stay on top of everything. Every Sunday I sit down and figure out what needs doing for my blog, ALO, side projects, freelance clients, and general business maintenance and write a separate list for each - as well as a personal list for any appointments or personal commitments throughout the week. I then can see at a glance everything that needs to get done and can compartmentalise each project and workload. These then work alongside my weekly schedule and are adapted throughout the week whenever anything new pops up.
Identify Three Most Important Tasks We're not superheroes, there's only so much we can actually do with the seven days available to us each week - while also having a life and taking time off and away from our work. Every Sunday I identify three Most Important Tasks for the week to come, and then for every work day I identify three MIT daily tasks that work towards the weekly MITs. This way I can really prioritise what matters and what needs to get done, and of course some weeks will have more on it's plate than others, but in general prioritising three important areas is a good way to really focus on your workload. If you want to find out more about MITs, there are two awesome must read posts on Zen Habits here and here.
Tie Up Any Loose Ends The past seven days have probably left you with a messy desk, an unorganised desktop, and a bunch of emails in desperate need of being replied to. Give yourself the best chance on Monday to have a productive week and tie up any loose ends on Sunday. I tackle my inbox, update my business finances, file away any important documents, and double check my editorial calendars and content for the week.
Do you do anything on Sunday to prepare for the next week?
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